MOSCOW, November 5. /TASS/. Five Russian athletes been suspended from sports for doping abuse, the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF) said on Thursday.

Maria Bespalova, 29, who took part in the 2012 Olympics in London and is five-time medalist of Russian athletics championships, was given a four-year ban until October 25, 2019, the federation said.

Maria Konovalova, 41, a two-time bronze medalist of the Chicago marathon and two-time Russian champion, was disqualified until October 26, 2017. All her results were cancelled from August 14, 2009.

Runners Vlas Bredikhin and Yaroslav Kholopov were suspended from competitions for four years, while race walker Yevgeny Nushtayev got a six-month ban, ARAF said.

The ARAF further hit by a series of high-profile doping scandals starting this year. On January 30, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) suspended country’s titled athletes Tatiana Chernova and Yulia Zaripova over doping abuse.

Runner Zaripova, a 2011 world athletics champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, was disqualified for two years and six months from July 25, 2013. Chernova, a 2008 and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and 2011 world champion, was disqualified for two years from July 22, 2013.

RUSADA announced in January that Olympic Champions in race walk Valery Borchin, Sergey Kirdyapkin and Olga Kaniskina as well as Russia’s 2011 World Champion Sergey Bakulin and 2011 World Championship silver medalist Vladimir Kanaikin were suspended after they were found guilty of violating anti-doping regulations.

Their suspensions were based on irregularities in their biological passports, which were indicators to abuse of performance enhancing drugs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in June his deep disappointment with the rise of positive doping cases registered among Russian athletes and urged to enhance the fight against the abuse of performance enhancing drugs.